Episode 10Have you rubbed noses with your Maori lately?

In a nutshell- Get your truck/house and go see the Maori.  Be careful on your very long drive, you wouldn't want to get in a wreck.  That would be un-amazing.  Ferry times don't matter much because the Maori go to be early.  Rub noses and go to the Lost World, or go run into a dormant volcano.  Some people may be wishing it had been active.  Drop or Climb, ride a 4-wheeler.  Warbirds will shoot down the last team to arrive.

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Here are the departing times for this leg:
Blake and Paige  2:13 AM  First Place
Tara and Wil 3:13 AM 1 hour behind
Chris and Alex 3:41 AM 1 hour 28 minutes behind
Oswald and Danny 5:04 AM 2 hours 51 minutes behind

     Blake/Paige, fresh after using the fast forward the previous week take off at 2:13 AM.  Using provided campers, the teams are to travel all the way from the Cantebury Plains, near Christchurch, to the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, which is on the North Island.  Teams will have to catch a ferry at Picton, which will take them to Wellington, and then continue on their journey.

     Tara/Wil got pretty lost near the beginning of the drive which, of course, caused an argument.  They evenutally got on their way though.  Chris/Alex alsost get in a wreck as they are nearing the ferry dock.  Oswald, who admits that he just got his license before this trip, mentions that now he is driving a "Truck or House or whatever this thing is."  Ha!  He also sideswipes the railing at one point, breaking his rearview mirror.  This causes them to both laugh hysterically.

     Blake/Paige were the first team to arrive and get their tickets for the first ferry.  They also request a special "Priority" tag which should allow them to be the first on and first off of the ferry.  Chris/Alex arrive next, followed by Tara/Wil.  They both get their tickets, then begin trying to convince the ferry workers to let them on and off the ferry first.  He says no, because "not everyone can get on and get off first."  Anyway, when they start letting vehicles on the ferry, somehow Tara/Wil and Chris/Alex wind up in front of Blake/Paige.  No one seems too concerned, however, except Oswald/Danny, who arrive at the ferry dock at 11:30 AM, just to see the ferry departing without them.  They will have to wait until 1:00 PM for the next ferry.

     The teams depart from the ferry on the North Island and continue driving.  Oswald/Danny make their way across a few hours later, and keep on driving.  At this point, the teams have been driving for around 14 hours.  The first teams arrive at the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, only to find that it is closed and will not open until 7:00 the next morning.  The teams head off to the Rotorua Caravan Park and make camp for the night.  Oswald/Danny catch up and do the same.

     Promptly at 7:00 AM, a Maori gatekeeper sounds a horn and leads the teams into the institute.  They perform a ceremony with the teams, which includes rubbing-noses with Maori warriors.  Then they give the teams the next information packet which sends them off to the Waitomo Caves, where they will have to find the Lost World Cave.  This envelope also contained the Fast Forward clue.  Tara/Wil, unsuprisingly, decide to pursue the Fast Forward.  This week, they'll have to go to Mount Terawera  (an appropriate name).

     Tara/Wil go there and use a provided SUV to drive to the top of the dormant volcano.  Once at the top, they must perform a "Scree" run down the nearly verticaly face of the volcano.  Scree is the name for the loose volcanic rock that the volcano walls is composed of.  They run down and get the clue which directs them to the Warbirds hanger, near Auckland.  They take off.

     Meanwhile, the other teams are arriving at the Lost World.  Blake/Paige arrive first and they suit up and hit the trail.  Once at the top of the cave, they recieve a detour.  This week, the options are Drop or Climb.  In the Drop option, teams must rappel down into the cave and then walk a short distance to the clue.  In the Climb option, the teams must climb down a ladder into the cave, but then hike a long distance to the clue.

     Blake/Paige immediately decide to drop.  They drop into the beautiful, foggy, cave with the help of an expert.  While they rappel, Oswald/Danny have arrived, with Chris/Alex right behind.  Oswald/Danny start dropping as Blake/Paige grab the clue and take off.  The clue directs them to 4-Track Adventures, which is located near Auckland.  Oswald/Danny finish the rappel as Chris/Alex are on their way down.  Oswald, however, has a lot of trouble with the short hike over slippery rocks.  Danny gives him a helping hand as Chris/Alex finish and run past them.

     As the teams make their way to 4-track adventures, Tara/Wil arrive at the Warbirds Hangar.  As reward for winning first on this leg, they win a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico.

     Blake/Paige are the first to arrive at 4-Track Adventures.  They recieve a Road Block.  Paige decides to take it.  It requires jumping on a 4-wheeler and following an offroad path to a nearby beach.  At the beach, they will pick up a clue before returning to their partner.  Paige takes off.  Chris/Alex arrive soon, followed closely by Oswald/Danny.  Alex takes off, followed by Danny.

    Paige reaches the beach, and gets the clue, which directs them to the Warbirds Pit Stop.  She heads back to Blake, then Alex finishes, the Danny does.  At this point, the teams are separated by just minutes.

    Blake/Paige find the hangar without difficulty and arrive in 2nd place.  Now the editors really make us wonder.  Alex gets out of his vehicle and asks for directions.  Oswald/Danny are shown looking at a map and also asking for directions.  We see a team running for the hangar... and it turns out it was Chris and Alex.  Oswald and Danny arrive a few minutes later and are told they were eliminated.  They take it in stride, saying they're amazed they made it as far as they did, and Oswald says the race has pushed him out of his comfort zone.  And, so, the final three teams are locked in place for next week's finale.

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